The Musqueam people have lived in our present location for thousands of years. Our traditional territory once occupied much of what is now Vancouver and surrounding areas. The name Musqueam relates back to the River Grass, the name of the grass is (m-uh-th-kwi). There is a story that has been passed on from generation to generation that explains how we became known as the Musqueam - People of the River Grass.

"It was noted that in some periods the (m-uh-th-kwi) grass flourished, and in some periods it could scarcely be found. It was also noted that in some periods our people would flourish and in some periods the population would dwindle, perhaps by plague or war. It was in this way that we became known as Musqueam."

We are traditional (h-un-q-uh-mi-n-uhm) speaking people and have descended from the cultural group known as the Coast Salish Tribe. Our people moved throughout our traditional territory using the resources the landprovided for fishing, hunting, trapping and gathering, to maintain their livlihood. Today, the Musqueam people still use these resources for economical and traditional purposes.

Although a metropolitan city has developed in the heart of Musqueam territory, our community maintains strong cultural and traditional beliefs. Our community historians and educators teach and pass on our history to our people, which has always been the way of our people, to keep our culture and traditions strong.

Today our population flourishes and we are a strong community of over thousand members. We live on a very small portion of our traditional territory, known as the Musqueam Indian Reserve, located south of Marine Drive near the mouth of the Fraser River.

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